DJTheoret - 9/14/23
For golfers who visit or live in the mountains of Western North Carolina, there are many options when choosing a golf course for your next round. A search of golf courses in the Canton, NC area lists more than 10 public and municipal facilities within 20 miles; add in private clubs and that number increases significantly. There’s one facility that I am particularly familiar with and it’s a must-play whenever I’m in the area: Springdale Resort.

Springdale has been around for over 50 years and continues to impress golfers. The course was originally designed by Joseph Holmes and in 2018, noted golf course architect Ron Garl did some work for course owner Lex West that included a new irrigation system, upgrades to bunkers, and improvements to cart paths. The West family also made several other investments in the resort including a new welcome center and clubhouse, the Rocky Face Tavern - a 7000 sq ft bar and restaurant with an outdoor fireplace, heated pool and hot tub, a fitness center, and a new teen center. The new clubhouse recently reopened and won Golf Inc.’s “New Public Clubhouse of the Year” Award for 2022.

Whether you’re an accomplished, low-handicap golfer or are just new to the game, Springdale is a course that can be enjoyed by anyone. It’s located at the base of Cold Mountain and is a golf resort that combines the extraordinary beauty of the awe-inspiring natural landscape with the hospitality and simple comforts you’d expect at a golf resort.

The course itself is a one-of-a-kind golf experience, with rolling, mountainous terrain, hidden hazards, and plush greens. It’s one of the best-maintained courses in the area, as the members will attest to. There are a few blind shots out here. One significant blind shot is on the third hole. It’s a par 3 that plays slightly uphill, and you can’t see the hole from the tee box. You can see the pin, so pay attention to the GPS on the cart for further details.

Number 4 is a risk-reward par 4 that plays downhill and is shorter than the 336 yards stated on the scorecard. Longball hitters may be tempted to go for the green off the tee but beware of the pond in front on the left side as well as the two bunkers by the green. Your best bet is to hit something less than a driver off the tee, leave a manageable approach distance, and make birdie that way.

As you play the first few holes, you may be saying to yourself, “I thought this was a mountain golf course.” So far, it’s been relatively flat with a few exceptions such as the tee shot on three and a couple of elevated tee boxes. Number 6 is the first hole where you start to see some major elevation changes. It’s a XXX-yard dogleg left par 4 that plays slightly uphill, maybe half club to club longer. The green is influenced by the mountain and what you think may be an uphill putt that breaks right is exactly the opposite.

The front nine finishes with a 454-yard par 5, dogleg left. If you can catch the downhill slope on the left side, not only have you crushed your drive, but you’ll leave yourself in a good position for the next shot and an opportunity to go for the green. A good drive could leave you inside the 200-yard marker with an approach shot that plays slightly downhill into a green protected on the right side by a bunker. Beware of the creek that crosses about 50 yards in front of the green.

The back nine starts with a dogleg left 511-yard par 5 and will be a three-shot hole for most players. You'll hit your tee shot from the elevated tee box downhill to the fairway and then back uphill on your layup and approach shots. Watch out for the creek that crosses the fairway just in front of the cart path. The green slopes slightly from left to right with a large deep bunker in front.

The 13th hole is called The Spasm; it’s Springdale’s signature hole and comes with a warning that it may be hazardous to your mental health. From the White Tees The Spasm plays 422 yards; move up to the Golds and it becomes a 335-yard hole. Not only will you save 87 yards, but you may also preserve some of that mental health you were warned about! Trees line the right side of this challenging par 4 that doglegs to the right and to complicate matters there’s a creek that runs down the right side as well. Hit your tee shot over the bunker at the corner of the dogleg and you’ll still have a long approach shot into a slightly elevated green with more sand on the right. Anything left may find a downhill slope and leave a tough up and down.

The Spasm is followed up by another 400-yard par 4 and requires an accurate tee shot between two giant oak trees. A good drive to the top of the hill will leave a manageable approach shot into a green fronted on either side by sand. If you can somehow catch the downslope, not only will you make your second shot considerably shorter, but you may also hit the longest drive of your life!

The 16th hole is a 449-yard par 4 that should be called Son or Spasm (or Father of Spasm, depending upon how you look at it.) It does play downhill so you’ve got that going for you! Trees line the right side, and there’s a fairway bunker on the right. Your approach shot plays downhill into a green that slopes back left to front right. Just to add a little intrigue to this long par 4, that creek you’ve encountered a few times crosses the fairway just in front of the green.

Number 18 is a great finishing hole. It’s a dogleg right, par 5, with trees on the right side off the tee. There’s a creek that crosses the fairway about 300 yards from the White Tees. Your tee shot plays downhill and if you can avoid the creek and wetlands on your layup shot, you’ll be left with an uphill approach shot into the green flanked on either side in front with bunkers and a beautiful view of the new clubhouse.

Springdale Resort is one of those courses that never plays the same way twice. That’s why it’s a good idea to look into one of their stay-and-play packages if you plan on being in the area and want to play some challenging golf. Springdale offers guests a variety of accommodations including villas, cottages, forest homes, and treehouses. Each villa is equipped with 4 queen beds, 2 full baths, a kitchen, a living area, and a large deck overlooking the Great Smokey Mountains. Cottages are 2-bedroom, 2-bath units and forest homes are multi-level townhomes that are perfect for the entire family. Need more rooms? Springdale’s Treehouse Village is made up of 6 round houses that can accommodate up to 36 people. It’s the perfect destination for a corporate team-building event. With so many courses in the area that allow public play, their rentals make for a great base. You will have complete access to their course and amenities, and they can also help you arrange rounds at other area courses.

  thegolfinguy@gmail.com - 9/22/18
Springdale Country Club has a rich and flavorful history.

Fred Tingle had a vision. Tingle was the executive of the Butterick Corporation in Manhattan, NY, the creator of the first graded sewing pattern. Fred saw himself as a golf course owner, one day retiring to the mountains – somewhere - and running a little nine-hole course he had built, well into his golden years.

As fate would have it, 550 acres of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina that he had his eye on became available. Fred had hesitated when this same piece of property was for sale several years earlier and, as the saying goes, if you snooze you lose. Now, this very property was being auctioned off on the courthouse steps of Waynesville, North Carolina. Fred didn’t hesitate the second time.

The land that Tingle purchased had at one time been the site of Springdale Farm, a girls camp in the early 60’s where the kids spent their summers harvesting vegetables, milking cows, collecting eggs, hiking the trails of the Blue Ridge Mountains and tubing the cool waters of the Pigeon River. Unbeknownst to Fred at the time, Springdale Farm would become the main provider of all of the milk, eggs and vegetables used at his new venture.

In 1968, Springdale Country Club opened as planned – Fred’s nine-hole dream. Golf’s popularity was on the rise and soon after opening, Fred and his wife Eunice realized that nine holes were simply not enough. In 1972, Fred opened up the second nine and the Springdale Country Club as it is known today was born.

After building the second nine, Fred and his wife Eunice would sit around the clubhouse waiting for golfers to show up. Since the area wasn’t exactly teeming with golfers ready to beat down their door and play a few rounds, Fred and Eunice decided they were going to have to do something different in order to entice golfers up and down the east coast. They decided to build a few cabins and a small restaurant on the property and promptly took out a small ad in Golf Digest, announcing their new Mountain Golf Packages. Slowly but surely, people began to show up. They saw firsthand all that Springdale had to offer and began to tell their friends. Business picked up for the Tingles and before they knew it, golfers were coming down from Canada and the Great Lakes region and up from the hot summer sun of Florida to experience mountain golf and the delicious food served up at the restaurant.

Rather than hire a restaurant staff, the Tingle’s employed local moms and grandmas to cook up tasty Southern home-cooked dishes: biscuits and gravy in the morning, fried chicken, mountain trout, chicken pot pie and meatloaf in the evenings. The food was served family style as it is today, allowing guests to eat all that their hearts desired. What had started out as a nine-hole dream had now become a full-fledged golf resort.

Unfortunately, Fred Tingle passed away in 2005 and Eunice continued to own and operate the resort. After years of making a go it, it just became too much and Eunice finally agreed to sell Springdale Country Club. In early 2018 the new owners took over and during the past several months, conditions have improved greatly. When I visited the course in June, I found it to be in great condition, however ownership did not agree and is continuing to make improvements, not only to the course, but other amenities on the property as well, including the reopening of a full-service bar that will feature live entertainment and is sure to be a hit with the locals. Look for it to be open on your next visit.

From the back tees, Springdale Country Club measures 6,812 yards with a course rating of 72.5 and a slope of 130. It will test the best golfers around. Mere mortal men can choose to play from the White Tees (6,437/70.7/124) while seniors will prefer the gold (5,734/68/117). Ladies will most likely opt for the Red Tees (5,421/72.4/121). Fairways are lush and green and water in the form of ponds and mountain streams can come into play on at least nine holes. Trees more so than bunkers are the hazard of choice along the fairways, however sand is strategically placed around many greens to catch errant approach shots. The greens are large for the most part and putt well with subtle undulations. All in all, Springdale will provide a fun and fitting challenge for golfers of all abilities.

The mountains can have a profound affect on a golf course. Case in point is the green on Number 7. The green looks like it slopes dramatically from front to back, however the mountains can play tricks on you, and it is actually the opposite. Once you realize what’s happening, it makes things interesting the rest of the way around the course.

I have it on good authority that the nines are going to be reversed and the course will once again be played as it was originally routed. The (soon to be) front nine starts out with a links golf feel as it meanders through the valley bordering the east fork of the Pigeon River with lovely mountains views of Sugar Top and Rocky Face. The first six holes offer more generous landing areas off the tee and are fairly wide open. It’s a good opportunity to gain the accuracy you will need on the back side. The final three holes on the outward nine are the start of what will be an exciting round of mountain golf.

The (soon to be) back nine takes you on a roller coaster ride through the mountains, with huge elevation changes. In addition to challenging golf holes, you’ll enjoy stunning scenery, including breathtaking views of Cold Mountain.

The par 4, 13th (soon to be 4th) is Springdale’s most memorable – and challenging – hole. Affectionately dubbed The Springdale Spasm, this hole is sure to cause you fits; if you haven’t played it before, best of luck. It’s a 414-yard (White Tees), uphill, dogleg right that requires length of the tee, just to have a peak at the green. To complicate matters, there’s a mountain stream that runs down the right side of the fairway and crosses it at the 150-yard mark. Hit it right off the tee and forget about it. Complete the first task successfully and all that’s left is a long iron or hybrid, down a very narrow fairway to an elevated green, protected by bunkers on either side.

In addition to very affordable membership opportunities, Springdale offers some of the best Stay and Play golf packages in the North Carolina Mountains. All packages include lodging, a daily breakfast buffet, golf, golf cart, family style dinners, and daily housekeeping service. Many of the vegetables are grown in Springdale’s gardens, so come hungry. All rental units can accommodate at least four people in each unit.

Springdale offers guests a variety of accommodations including golf villas, roundhouses (literally) and cottages. The Golf Watch Villas are the resort’s premium accommodations and overlook the 10 and 11 holes and feature 2 large bedrooms – one on each side of the villa - with the living room and kitchen in the middle. Each bedroom has 2 full size beds and a full bathrooms, washers & dryers, and a covered deck with outside seating. Springdale’s Roundhouse accommodations have 2 bedrooms with 2 twin beds in each room, 2 full baths, and a full size kitchen and living room. The Roundhouses are the perfect accommodation for a group of 4 looking to spend some quality time on the golf course and then enjoy their own bed at night. Springdale also offers Country Cottages and Forest Homes, each with 2 bedrooms with 2 twin beds in each room, 2 full bathrooms, a full size kitchen and spacious living room. Whatever your group is looking for, Springdale can provide.

The modus operandi hasn’t changed much since the days of Fred and Eunice Tingle. When you book a stay and play golf package at Springdale Country Club, here’s what a typical day consists of:

1. Drive your golf cart up to the clubhouse for breakfast.
2. Enjoy your southern buffet breakfast and head to the first tee (or driving range if you’re really committed) with a full belly.
3. Play the front nine.
4. Pick up snacks and beverages at the turn and get ready to take on the back nine.
5. Play the back nine.
6. Return to the clubhouse, lie to others in your group about your best shots on The Springdale Spasm.
7. Enjoy a family style dinner.
8. Drive your cart back to your accommodations, relax and get ready to do it all again the next day.

If this sounds like something you and your golf buddies (or spouses, of course) would enjoy, call Springdale Country Club at (828) 235-8451. Springdale Country Club does not offer online booking, instead they prefer the old-fashioned talk-to-someone-on-the-phone approach. That’s how they’ve done business for years.

  jpaulwilson - 7/8/14
Golf course was in great shape. Tough course on the front especially 4 thru 7. The Back 9 is more forgiving. Great place to stay and play. Cabins were always clean. Food was great. I would definitley return to play again.

  Joe1315 - 10/23/12
A few Tee boxes need a bit of work, fairways are good, greens are large & mostly in very good condiition, ball rolled true, their speed is is medium fast & approach shots held. #4 is very tough, not well designed - especially for those driving less than 250 yds. Also a short par 3 on back 9 (forget which hole) had the pin tucked extreme front left, UNDER A TREE OVERHANG bad bad set-up. Scenery is amazing, particularly in the fall!

  gadog7003 - 1/28/10
Great place for golf if your looking for prime service, good food, and quiet surrondings.

  jmcgill82 - 5/26/13

  josh.zimmer - 7/3/11

  JimLuman - 10/16/10

  scotty_ii - 9/22/10

  rjrich43 - 9/4/10